First Ronald McDonald House to Open in Alaska

Today, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Western Washington & Alaska open the first Ronald McDonald House® in Alaska.

The new Ronald McDonald House is located on one floor of the six-story Alaska Native Medical Center (ANMC) patient housing building. The new House serves the families of patients at ANMC, including women with high-risk pregnancies and pediatric patients.

The House has been some years in the making. Since 2008, ANMC and the Ronald McDonald House have worked together, hosting a van service for pediatric patients in Anchorage. In 2013, ANMC approached the Ronald McDonald House with an idea to deepen their partnership, suggesting putting a House in one story of a planned patient housing facility at ANMC. Given the need for more ANMC housing to accommodate out-of-town families coming for treatment, this presented a great opportunity to build the first Ronald McDonald House in Alaska with a strong partner.

Each room in the new House features its own bathroom, sleeper chair, and full sized bed. The House floor includes a fully equipped kitchen, cozy living room, library, interactive play area, and laundry. Ronald McDonald House residents also have access to the amenities of the ANMC housing building, including a workout space and cafeteria. The building is joined to the hospital via skybridge, making it easy for families to get the care they need.

“Thanks to our partnership with ANMC, we are able to bring the first Ronald McDonald House to Alaska today,” says Ronald McDonald House Executive Director, Dianna Finnerty. “We want it to be a strong community offering support and healing for those coming from miles away to get medical treatment.”